GC: PROGRESS ON TRIPS AND PUBLIC HEALTH, SMALL ECONOMIES ALSO STUCK
While the bulk of discussions at the WTO this week focused on Members’ inability to come to a preliminary agreement on farm trade liberalisation, the 27 July meeting of the General Council indicated that progress in some other areas of the ongoing talks is also stalled.
The Chair of the Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), Ambassador Choi Hyuck of Korea told the meeting that Members still need to do more work in order to agree on how to formally amend the TRIPS Agreement in order to facilitate the export of drugs produced under compulsory licence (see BRIDGES Weekly, 22 June 2005). Kenya and Cuba expressed disappointment that Members have been unable to do so as yet. Choi expressed hope that Members would be able to make progress on the issue after the WTO’s August break.
Ambassador Gomi Tharaka Senadhira, Chair of the Council for Trade and Development Dedicated Session on Small Economies (CTD-DS) reported on progress in the negotiations. He said that the small and vulnerable economies that had pushed for the issue to be included in the Doha mandate would like their specific concerns to be addressed at the WTO’s December Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong, and that he was hoping to come up with concrete proposals on the issue. Some developing country Members are concerned that according specific treatment to small and vulnerable economies would open the door to differentiation among developing countries in the WTO (see BRIDGES Weekly, 1 June 2005). Barbados said that the debate on the issue is going in circles. The CTD-DS will continue its discussions.
After 29 July, the General Council is next scheduled to meet on 19-20 October.
ICTSD reporting.